Indian-origin nurse cleared of poisoning boss in UK

London: An Indian-origin dental nurse won "the battle of her life" when she was cleared of poisoning her boss with mercury after two separate juries failed to convict her.

Ravinder Kaur, 34, had denied charges of lacing her manager Laura Knowles` coffee with mercury amalgam used in dental fillings in revenge on March 16, 2012, three days after being given a warning about "poor behaviour" at work.

She has now spoken of her relief after the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to pursue the case with a third trial.
"I felt freedom, I felt relieved. A huge weight has come off my shoulders I was really happy that I`ve won the battle of my life," she said.

A jury had failed to reach a verdict last May, with a second jury doing the same at Blackfriars Crown Court in London last month.

"It has been a horrifying, terrifying experience that has left me scarred. I am a broken person. My dignity and my career have been destroyed," she told Birmingham Mail.

"My life has been put on hold for two years; it has made me very unwell. I cannot describe the traumatic effect this has had on me. It has also taken a toll on the lives of my family in Birmingham who have stood by me throughout.
I have been stigmatised and victimised," she added.

The court heard there was friction between Kaur and colleagues at Shams Moopen Dental Practice, in Shefford, Bedfordshire.

Three days before the coffee incident, she was handed a final written warning for allegedly leaving a patient unattended in the dental chair, an accusation Kaur denied.

The crown`s case was that Kaur then took "a capsule or a number of capsules of mercury, and tipped it into a mug and handed the cup of coffee to Ms Knowles to drink".

The trial heard the metal can be deadly if inhaled and causes stomach cramps if swallowed.

Knowles was taken to hospital with stomach pain, sickness and dizziness. But Kaur insisted she had not spiked Knowles` coffee with mercury.

Kaur has now said she did not plan to return to the dental industry.

"The long and short of it is that the Crown have decided they don`t wish to proceed further in this matter," a CPS spokesperson said.